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'This was Johnson': Czech prime minister shocks with statement on 2022 collapse of peace with Russia

'This was Johnson': Czech prime minister shocks with statement on 2022 collapse of peace with Russia Photo: Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš (Getty Images)
Author: Oleh Velhan

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said that a chance for peace between Russia and Ukraine in 2022 was lost due to external interference.

Babiš made this statement on the TN.cz broadcast.

Read also: Trump to convene Board of Peace - When and why

According to the prime minister, in April 2022, Kyiv and Moscow were very close to reaching a peace agreement, but the process, Babiš claims, was disrupted after intervention by Ukraine’s Western partners.

Andrej Babiš directly blamed then-British prime minister Boris Johnson for the failure to complete the negotiations.

According to Babiš, after Boris Johnson’s visit to Ukraine, the negotiation process was derailed, and the chance for a quick end to the war was lost.

The Czech prime minister also noted that diplomatic efforts to end the war have now intensified. At the same time, he is convinced that Europe alone cannot stop the war. He called Donald Trump a key player in achieving peace.

"The negotiations are intense. It seems they are approaching some long-term solution, ending the war and creating stable security guarantees for Ukraine. But Europe will not be able to do this without Donald Trump," Babiš said.

What Czechia proposes

Separately, the Czech prime minister called on European countries to resume direct dialogue with Russia, seeing it as a necessary condition for achieving a ceasefire. According to him, negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin could be conducted by the leaders of key European countries.

Babiš listed the leaders who could sit at the negotiating table with the Kremlin:

  • Friedrich Merz (chancellor of Germany)

  • Emmanuel Macron (president of France)

  • Keir Starmer (prime minister of Britain)

  • Giorgia Meloni (prime minister of Italy)

Plan to end war

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky constantly says that Ukraine has long insisted on developing a clear, step-by-step action plan, the so-called Sequence Plan, which would clearly outline the parties’ actions and the deadlines for implementing agreements.

He also noted that the US wants to end Russia’s war against Ukraine by the beginning of summer and may apply diplomatic pressure according to this timeline.

Meanwhile, Estonia and Latvia have supported resuming negotiations between Europe and Russia, specifically calling for European countries to participate in peace talks on Ukraine.